Iran has officially acknowledged that several of its nuclear facilities sustained severe damage during U.S. airstrikes over the weekend, raising fresh tensions even as a tenuous ceasefire with Israel appeared to be taking hold.
Speaking to Al Jazeera on Wednesday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei admitted the extent of the damage inflicted during Sunday’s strikes, which were carried out by American B-2 bombers armed with bunker-buster munitions.
“Our nuclear installations have been badly damaged, that’s for sure,” Baghaei said, though he refrained from disclosing further operational details.
Despite the strike’s severity, the ceasefire between Iran and Israel, brokered by the United States after nearly two weeks of escalating hostilities, remained intact for a second consecutive day on Wednesday. Initial accusations of ceasefire violations from both sides gradually subsided, bringing cautious optimism that the pause in fighting might pave the way toward more lasting diplomatic engagement.
U.S. President Donald Trump, speaking from a NATO summit in the Netherlands, expressed confidence in the ceasefire’s progress. “They’re not going to have a bomb, and they’re not going to enrich,” Trump asserted, underscoring Washington’s continued stance on curbing Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
However, Tehran remains defiant. On Wednesday, Iran’s parliament voted to fast-track legislation that would effectively suspend cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), a major blow to global nuclear oversight efforts. The move came in direct response to the U.S. strike and what Iranian lawmakers described as the IAEA’s silence in condemning the attack.
Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf accused the IAEA of failing to even “pretend to condemn” the targeting of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure. “Until the safety of our nuclear sites is guaranteed, the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran will suspend all cooperation,” Qalibaf declared, adding that the country’s peaceful nuclear program would now proceed at a faster pace.
In Vienna, IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi confirmed he had contacted Iranian authorities seeking to resume inspections, stating that it was vital to reassess Iran’s uranium stockpiles, particularly after Tehran claimed to have relocated key materials ahead of the strikes.
“We need to return. We need to engage,” Grossi told reporters, while acknowledging Iran’s well-established technical knowledge and industrial capacity, despite the reported setbacks.
While President Trump has publicly claimed the strikes “completely and fully obliterated” Iran’s nuclear program, conflicting assessments have emerged. A U.S. intelligence report, cited anonymously by officials, suggests that Tehran’s enrichment program may only have been delayed by a few months. Trump dismissed the report, saying it would take Iran “years” to recover.
Israeli military spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin echoed Trump’s view, stating the assessed damage was extensive and that the strikes had likely set back Iran’s nuclear timeline by several years.
Still, questions remain. Steve Witkoff, the U.S. special envoy to the Middle East, appeared on Fox News Tuesday night and claimed that the objective of neutralizing Iran’s enrichment capacity had been achieved. “The proof is in the pudding. No one’s shooting anymore. It’s over,” he said, suggesting the ceasefire and the damage inflicted had brought hostilities to a standstill.
Yet, the path forward remains uncertain. Iran’s insistence on pursuing its nuclear program, even at a faster pace, and the potential breakdown of cooperation with international watchdogs, may only prolong tensions in the region. As all sides cautiously monitor the situation, global focus now shifts to whether diplomacy can fill the void left by missiles, drones, and bombers.
